Distributor KinoSmith has picked up Canadian rights to feature documentaries Blackfish (pictured) and The Manor, both of which will screen at Hot Docs in Toronto over the next 11 days.

Distributor KinoSmith has picked up Canadian rights to feature documentaries Blackfish (pictured) and The Manor, both of which will screen at Hot Docs in Toronto over the next 11 days.

Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s Blackfish, which had its world premiere at Sundance in January, tells the story of Tilikum, a performing whale that has been linked to the deaths of three people while in captivity.

It features previously unseen footage and emotional interviews, which “explore the creature’s dual nature, the lives and losses of the trainers, and the pressures brought to bear by the sea-park industry,” according to the film’s billing.

Shawney Cohen’s The Manor, meanwhile, kicks off the Canadian festival today as its opening film, and sees the filmmaker turning the camera on his family and himself, owners of a strip club in Guelph, Ontario.

Blackfish will open July 19, beginning in Toronto at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, while The Manor hits theatres directly after the festival on May 10, starting in Toronto at The Hot Docs Bloor Cinema and continuing to other Canadian cities.

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About The Author

Senior staff writer Frederick Blichert comes to realscreen with a background as a journalist and freelance film critic. He has previously written for VICE, Paste Magazine, Senses of Cinema, Xtra, Canadian Cinematographer and elsewhere. He holds a Master of Arts in film studies from Carleton University and a Master of Journalism from the University of British Columbia.